December 4th: Flight to Copenhagen with BA from LHR T5 on a BA Holidays package holiday 9 years ago we'd gone to Copenhagen for a city break as Yolande had particularly wanted to visit Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest and most visited theme parks in the world, operating since 1843. Two days into that trip we'd had to return to Cardiff as Yolande's father was in hospital following an acute stroke. This trip, last month, was to finally get Yolande into Tivoli Gardens which hadn't been possible back in 2013. We drove to LHR and dropped the car off with Purple Parking, were soon checked in and enjoying the BA lounge which was included in our package. The flight was short and under 2hrs and we were soon in Copenhagen trying to figure out how to book our train tickets into the city centre for the very short walk to our centrally located Scandic Palace Hotel. After checking in to the hotel and unpacking we headed out into the city centre for a walk but is was cold, wet and very dark. We visited the fabulous and nearby Torvehallerne Food Market which is definitely worth a visit and close to numerous high quality, but very expensive, outdoor equipment shops. December 5th: At leisure in Copenhagen After breakfast we set off out in to the cold and wet city centre to firstly visit The Round Tower where we had coffee as well before climbing up to the observation level at the top. This 17th Century tower and observatory is one of Copenhagen's most iconic buildings. Located on one of the city's busy shopping streets it's easy to escape the crowds and walk up the wide spiral path to the top. It's rumoured that a Russian Tsar once rode to the top. Continuing onwards through the streets we headed to Nyhaven to try to find another restaurant we'd enjoyed from 9 years ago and were successful in our search. Colourful, captivating Nyhavn is one of Copenhagen’s most iconic sights and one of the locals’ favourite places to sink a cold beer on a hot day. Nyhavn's buildings aren't the only colourful thing about the area – its history is colourful too. Originally it was a commercial port where ships from all over the world would dock, and it was packed with sailors visiting its pubs, alehouses and ladies of pleasure. The restaurant was as good as previously although perhaps not quite as efficient with GF offerings for Yolande. We said we'd previously been there and searched for it so we were rewarded with complimentary desserts which was nice. We called into a lego shop on the way back to the hotel to buy gifts for our grandchildren back home. For dinner we returned to another restaurant we'd visited 9 years previously but it wasn't quite as good and the fabulous ribs we'd enjoyed were no longer on the menu. They did brew their own Christmas beer though which I enjoyed. We had our photos taken with Hans Christian Anderson on the way back to the hotel. December 6th: By train to Roskilde to visit the Viking Ship Museum. On most of our city breaks we try to get out of the city to visit an outlying town or city and we'd thought the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde might be worth the effort on this snowy and cold day. Dinner at Wagamamas as they provide good GF food for Yolande. December 7th: At leisure in Copenhagen Yolande was determined to use as much public transport as possible so we took the Metro out to the north of the city and walked to The Little Mermaid. Unveiled on 23 August 1913, The Little Mermaid was a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen. The sculpture is made of bronze and granite and sits in the water at Langelinie Pier. It was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairytale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land. We then headed in the general direction of the city centre, passing the Seaplane Base where I spoke to two pilots about their twin Otter Floatplane before enjoying a coffee in a nearby delicatesen. We looked at our maps and decided that the adjacent Kastellet Fortress would be worthy of a visit, even on such a cold and snowy day as this. It was an enjoyable visit with many interesting buildings to look at on one of Northern Europe's finest and best preserved fortifications. Kastellet is today used as a military barracks and is a busy workplace for several hundred employees. Kastellet is also a beautiful cultural gem and a peaceful green oasis – right in the middle of the busy city. Dinner was in the Dubrovnik Restaurant close to the hotel as we're going to Croatia next summer so thought we'd better see if we like the food. December 8th: A day trip to Malmo in Sweden Another trip out of Copenhagen, by rail across The Bridge which was perhaps made famous by a Scandic tV series dating back to 2011. The trains are below road level on the bridge so views are not really possible but we were soon over in Malmo. The weather was wonderful, cold and sunny for our walk around Malmo with a light lunch in a lovely coffee shop near the Turning Torso building. Construction started in the summer of 2001. One reason for building Turning Torso was to re-establish a recognisable skyline for Malmö since the removal in 2002 of the Kockums Crane, which was located less than one kilometre from Turning Torso. The local politicians deemed it important for the inhabitants to have a new symbol for Malmö in lieu of the crane that had been used for shipbuilding and somewhat symbolised the city's blue collar roots. We also enjoyed visiting Malmöhus Castle, Scandinavia´s oldest surviving Renaissance castle. Here Denmark´s coins were minted in the Middle Ages and here Crown Prince Frederick held wild parties in the 16th century. Prisoners were beheaded in the courtyard in the 19th century. Trains back over the bridge to Copenhagen were every 20 minutes and we went back to our hotel for a late cocktail hour before heading out to Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli has opened throughout the year with a variety of themed attractions. Halloween, Christmas, winter and summer, where the gardens are redecorated to convey the cosy winter vibes, the hearty Christmas feeling, and the nostalgic long summer days and scary Halloween. The Christmas lights were spectacular as we walked around the gardens. December 9th: BA flight to London and drive home to Cardiff.
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2021 OnwardsFollowing on from retirement, more time will be available for hill and mountain walking on a personal basis with friends. Categories |